Ex-Official Fumes Over IAEA Inspection of Iranian Universities

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) denounced as “unacceptable” the recent inspection of two Iranian universities by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors, warning against a freer access to the country’s sensitive sites.

In an interview with Tasnim, former AEOI chief Fereidoun Abbasi, also a renowned physicist, said the IAEA inspection of Iranian academic centers was an inherently “wrong and unacceptable” move, saying there was no reason for the inspectors to visit the offices of professors at the universities either.

He also warned that inspection of Iran’s universities and scientific centers would not be limited to a specific time and the inspections would go on as long as Iran’s case is being considered by the IAEA as a “special case”.

“Such visits and inspections may even spread to the military sector and to our military and research universities,” Abbasi said.

His comments came after Science Minister Mansour Gholami said the IAEA inspection of universities had been authorized by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

The minister also explained that the inspection had nothing to do with any individual and did not go any further than “visiting the laboratories”.